Occupy 2.1

The rash of of raucus, confrontational and sometimes violent "Occupy" events last year were just starting to recede in the rearview mirror of American life. Nothing but a bad dream-- seemingly. But, then the drumbeat of Obama and allies' excuses, blame, seemed to settle on - the rich, who it seemed, were not paying their "fair share" - of what?

Taxes. With a capital "T," which rhymes with fee, and affects me. Even though the "1%" pay the lion's share already, it's never enough. When times are good, the government, run by the left, spends much more. When times are bad, they spend even more! It seems that they want to "help people," with YOUR money. They feel they have a right to take it from you and spend it where they see fit. Never mind that it is unconstitutional, uneconomical, inefficient. We are even told it's "what Jesus would do." Never mind that Jesus did it voluntarily

So, last Saturday, they were baaaaaack! Suddenly, there were notices everywhere of new, improved "Occupy" (with the Wall St. part left out) training, for "The 99%." V 2.0, I called it. The 2.1 was for the local leader's well-thought out variations observed. Having missed most of the last round, I felt a civic responsibility to be re-educated, to at least learn why I had strayed so far from the path that "our" government, media and "elite" seemed set upon.

I was interested in going to one of the thousands of training sessions held almost anywhere out of the sun last Saturday, but instead had to go to a militia exercise, or an Obama exorcism-- can't remember which. Fortunately, some of our people went and one wrote this excellent report, now sent far and wide (See:Notes from an Occupy Wall Street Training ).

Scene from Occupy Oakland, 2011

But, I lucked out on Sunday, when I learned of another Occupy meeting on Tuesday, at a time when most normal people are working. When I checked the address on the map, it turned out to be a Bank of America branch. The web site confirmed it- this was no training session-- we would OCCUPY! At the appointed hour, I drove by and saw virtually nobody. I parked a discreet distance away, where my Tea Party, anti-Agenda 21 and anti-Obama bumper stickers weren't so obvious.

Usually at Tea Parties, scads of people are early, sometimes VERY early. But when I walked over 10 minutes later, there was still no one in evidence in front of the bank, where we were supposed to meet. I spied about 6-8 people not far from the ATM's, but out of range of the nervous-looking security guard. He needn't have worried, because the 2.0 version is kinder and gentler, so far. I saw no signs of hammers, sickles, billy clubs or Molotov cocktails- not even one.

We had a brief rally to lament the "huge profits" of the big banks and the pitiful taxes they pay- "less than their secretaries," as if secretaries paid billions in taxes. I briefly tried to point out that the numbers were misleading, since bank assets are no longer written down to "mark to market," but are instead often carried at book value, in violation of every good accounting and business rule. Ergo, the profits were illusory and even those were merely buoyed by unheard of loan point spreads, from artificially manipulating interest rates, a temporary gift from Ben Bernanke, TurboTax Timmy Geither and those wonderful NWO folk. You would have thought I had two heads, the way some people looked at me. At least we were able to agree that at least some of the problem might be laid at the feet of the Federal Reserve, but all the signs dissed "the banks" and "the 1%," so they had to follow the script.

That was supposed to get our adrenalin up to motivate us to sing-- yes, sing- the chants, which we now provide the source code for:

Can't make stuff like this up. I learned back in college that the soul of a culture may be divined via its music and poetry, so take it for what it's worth. Even the 99 percenters had trouble chanting these with a straight face. This is Oxnard/Port Heuneme-- not Oakland or East St. Louis. Even the worst sections in town are nicer than where I lived while going to college in Brooklyn, NY.

Written like children's nursery rhymes, these are the gentle invective of the class warfare they (whoever "they" are-- Soros, Obama, Schumer, Rockefeller, Couric?) wish to incite. This is either really clever or insane- the class warfare is being financed-- by the 1%???

We practiced the songs/chants for awhile, getting ready to take our act on the road.

The page heading reminded me that it was "Tax Day" and this was their version of the Tax Day Tea Party. Talk about culture shock. Thousands of Tea Partiers celebrated it Sunday by complaining about oppressive taxes. "The 99%" were complaining that taxes were too low- but only for "the 1%. The leaders of this "movement" really have their class warfare down pat. The sheeple still believe the taxes will only be increased for the 1%. Later, of course, the need to raise others' taxes will be "discovered," and more of us will have to pay our "fair share." Plans underway already reveal the awful truth. ObamaCare will raise taxes and also insurance rates, while cutting the quality of care for millions.

It was determined last week that Obama's secretary does in fact pay higher taxes than Obama. there is no evidence that "Obama," or whoever he actually is, has offered to make up the difference. Ah, the irony and hypocrisy of it all. By the way, Conservatives give much more to charity than Liberals, Progressives, Commies, or whatever they now are called.

Before walking out front to demonstrate, we first picked up signs thoughtfully laid out for us. This was a good assortment of handmade and printed signs, not at all like the "Astroturf" stuff they used last year. These folks have learned from the Tea Party, although they couldn't compete with our good stuff. One of my friends there remarked that it had much of the ambience of a Tea Party. I picked up the most innocuous sign possible, in case caught on camera and published in the Ventura County Star, or Daily Worker-- not sure which would be worse.

I briefly talked to the leader, apologizing for missing the Saturday brainwashing, er, training ( not telling her why I missed it) and asking about the M.O. Is this confrontational or non confrontational? Non-violent, right? She stated that the new M.O is fairly non-confrontational, unless that is called for, whatever that might be. She said there was debate about whether to go into the bank, but the non-confrontational faction won out, maintaining that their exterior presence would make a strong statement without alienating people. Bravo-- they learned what the Tea Party instinctively knew on day one. How many were killed or injured to learn that simple truism? How and under what conditions would they escalate? Would it vary by leader and region?

By the way, I was non-confrontational with them, although anyone with half a brain knew I didn't talk much like a Progressive, even though I was complaining about stuff from Romney to revolutionaries, big banks to big politicians. They may not have known that I don't like Romney either, but for mostly different reasons.

I talked to quite a few people, They were very open and mostly loved to talk about politics. I was asked what I thought about Brown's tax plan. Don't want to pay more. Some were from out of the area, having car-pooled in. No buses in sight. NO SEIU shirts or anything like that.

Most were at least as politically sophisticated as our tea partiers, with the same knowledge variations as we have, but with a definitely diffrent worldview, on the average, tending toward a big brother approach. They tended to be very ignorant financially and investment wise-- at least the ones I talked to.

We had interesting discussions about so-called oil and business "subsidies," which turned out to be ordinary deductions for legitimate expenses and depletion. I explained the impact on the balance sheet and flow through to the income statement and why I thought it was reasonable, No one could really come up with a good argument, so they attacked on accelerated depletion, which I conceded provided a significant temporary tax advantage and was actually embraced by Liberals and Conservatives alike, to "stimulate " (aha!) capital investment and hiring.

In the meantime, we were carrying signs on Victoria Ave. A few cars honked, but nothing like at a Tea Party. By this time, we had accumulated about 40 people, respectable, but no doorbuster. Passersby on foot didn't seem to get what was up. Street noise made the chants inaudible, so they tapered off and people chatted, mostly about the main topics. All of the signs and rhetoric focused on taxes and finance-- NONE on any social issues. NOTHING at all about Obamacare that I saw or heard. On message.

For the most part, the people seemed pretty nice, like you might meet at the store, if not in your neighborhood. Mostly older white, some Latino folks.

Their militancy about "The Rich" being responsible for supporting them was predominant. This seems like an article of faith issue. We discussed multi-trillion dollar deficits. I pointed out that all corporate profits combined wouldn't be enough to erase them, at current levels, and if we took them, then any incentive to grow, even do business, would be vaporized. Darn, business/financial education should be mandatory. It would reduce some of the conflicts we are having. Of course there is a huge amount of accumulated wealth that some want to tap, via a "wealth tax," which has not yet entered the "Occupy" conciousness/repertoire, at this level. New way to "spread the wealth."

Several people there had spent extensive time in Europe and we all agreed, that although there is a perception here that European taxes are much higher, they really are not, except in Scandinavia, and people get a lot more for what they pay. Some blamed that on our high defense spending, which has some truth.

It occurred to me that they weren't really addressing the destruction of the dollar being accomplished by seemingly unlimited borrowing, money-printing (QE). bailouts ($16 trillion and counting), etc. Nor, the large de facto inflation, being covered up by financial manipulations and misleading statistics Try THESE instead. Try THESE for a more accurate reading of U.S. govt. financial position). But then again, hardly any of the political spectrum is addressing that, except Ron Paul and some Misian economists. Hopefully, the Romney machine will have the good sense to pick up on some of that.

You need to be a member of venturacountyteaparty to add comments!

Once again we have gotten a boots on the ground first-hand report from Ventura County's most honest and unbiased reporter. This is something we would never see in the Red Star. The photos showed that it was very sparsely attended, nothing like the recent County Center rally in support of Religious Freedom. We should be thankful that it has not really captured the imagination of residents of Ventura County. Imagination is the keyword in that last sentence since most of the beliefs these folks seem to hold have nothing to do with reality and how an economy works or who is really involved. If you feel the need of some more education on the Reality of Economics get a copy of Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt It is a perfect place to start your education. It is suitable for High School (a decent High School) and up.

Paul Ryan: Obama throws a lot of ‘verbal tantrums’

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., dismissed President Obama’s “verbal tantrums” about the budget and derided the idea that the Buffett Rule is “budget pixie dust” that will bring fiscal stability.

“We’re kind of used to these verbal tantrums from the president, unfortunately,” Ryan said on Morning Joe. “We propose to increase annual federal spending from $3.6 trillion a year to $4.9 trillion over the ten year period, instead of the president’s $5.5 trillion. Apparently the difference of that makes us social Darwinists? Because we’re saying don’t increase spending as fast as he is, but bring it back to more a sustainable level.”

Ryan argued that the Buffett Rule will hurt the middle class. “I think people think the Buffett Rule is sort of a budget pixie dust, that if we do this it’ll fix all our problems,” he said. “It represents a huge tax increase on job creators . . . Eighty percent of ourbusinesses file their taxes as individuals, so they would get hit by this Buffett Rule.”

Latest Activity

Dear Friends,I wanted to let you know our meeting with Congressmen Steve Knights office is confirmed for Wednesday at 11:00 AM at his Palmdale office. - 1008 W. Ave. M-14 suite EPalmdale, CA 93551The purpose of our meeting is to let Congressmen Knight know that the people of the 25th district demand that Steve Knight and the…See More

"Obama's latest attack on gun rights
By Jason Richards
There is one promise President Obama made he really wants to keep: the one he made at Brady Center to pursue gun control ‘under the radar.‘
The AR-15 is America's…"

DEMONSTRATION OPPOSING OBAMA AMNETYPreliminary Video - Photo Report To FollowSan Bernardino, CABy Robin HvidstonWe The People Rising http://wethepeoplerising.comEMAIL robinhvidston@wethepeoplerising.comhttps://twitter.com/calicrusader2/27/15 Citizens opposed to Obama's executive immigration program, demonstrated in front of the San Bernardino City Hall, next to the former…See More

"The School of Psychology, Harvard University, recently conducted a public survey called "What really do you see?"
People were asked to focus their attention on a very simple picture, and then asked if they had noticed anything odd.
Now,…"

“consequently, that the ultimate right of the parties to the Constitution (i.e. the States), to judge whether the compact has been dangerously violated, must extend to violations by one delegated authority as well as by another--by the judiciary as well as by the executive, or the legislature.” Virginia Assembly Report 1800, James Madison.

If a nation can't define its boundaries, who comes in and on what terms, then it can't sustain itself culturally, financially, politically, morally and with security. It's not a nation.- G. Miller

"A lawyer is a person who knows the law" (Black’s Law Dictionary & other.) "It is said that all persons are presumed to know the law, meaning that ignorance of the Law excuses no one." (16 AM JUR 2D Sec. 178, 256.) Therefore all persons are presumed to be Lawyers.- Randy Due (illegally klidnapped by FBI and detained)

A federal government which does not derive its lawful and limited authority from the Constitution of the United States is by definition an occupation government and criminal regime. It’s authority is null and void and no one is bound by any rule of law to obey it. --Donald L. Cline

When Party Loyalty Demands You Support a Creep, It's Time to Walk Away-- Jim Geraghty

Everybody is still talking about the other baby, the royal baby. In fact, I saw that President Obama released a statement congratulating Prince William and Kate Middleton on the birth of their son. Then he said, “And whatever you do — hang on to that birth certificate.” - Jimmy Fallon

“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”-- Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro Bounel Soebarkah

"And if you didn't know, the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK-47 aimed at your head."- Quang Nguyen

Solution to the problem in Egypt :

They want a new Muslim leader, Give them ours.

The administration’s attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time. We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth.

-Roger Ailes, Fox News

When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could You please get that for me.

- unknown

"There are 27 amendments in the Constitution but only one says 'shall not be infringed,'" Steve Toth said. "The Second Amendment is the amendment that keeps the people free."

“The States then being the parties to the constitutional compact, and in their sovereign capacity, it follows of necessity, that there can be no tribunal above their authority, to decide in the last resort, whether the compact made by them be violated; and consequently that as the parties to it, they must themselves decide in the last resort, such questions as may be of sufficient magnitude to require their interposition.” – James Madison

"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." - Niccolo Machiavelli

“We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” - "Obama", 2008

"A gun is like a parachute. If you need one, and don't have one, you'll probably never need one again."

This country does not need to have a conversation about how many bullets should go in a clip. It does need to have a conversation about how many parents should go in a family. It needs to talk about the ghettos of Obamerica and have a serious conversation about broken families and generational dependency. It needs to have a conversation about funneling new immigrants from broken parts of the world into areas already suffering from high levels of unemployment and street violence.- Daniel Greenfield

Gold is the money of kings, silver is the money of gentlemen, barter is the money of peasants and debt is the money of slaves.- Traditional

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

A federal government which does not derive its lawful and limited authority from the Constitution of the United States is by definition an occupation government and criminal regime. It’s authority is null and void and no one is bound by any rule of law to obey it. --Donald L. Cline

Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." -- Thomas Jefferson

“Disarmament of the populace is always the first step to depriving them of their civil rights and human rights…many African-Americans and women are actively assaulting the very document that first secured their own freedom... if you do not believe in the Bill of Rights, then you are not, at heart, an American.” – Mike Adams

Only in America could liberals talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000 a plate campaign fund raising event.

We need to demythologize guns before the liberal attempt to create a totemic fear of them succeeds. If the gun control mentality promoting fear of guns themselves becomes our national mentality, we would turn the clock back to the days when a warrior class ruled over the people because only they had the confidence and expertise to deploy the means of defense and coercion. The gun control agenda will turn us into a people too timid to defend themselves from our would-be masters. – Alan Keyes

So now that there is a new tragedy the president wants to have a “national conversation on guns”. Here’s the thing. Until this national conversation is willing to entertain allowing teachers to carry concealed weapons, then it isn’t a conversation at all, it is a lecture. – Larry Correia'

During his 1956 presidential campaign, a woman called out to Adlai Stevenson: Senator, you have the vote of every thinking person! Stevenson called back: That's not enough, madam, we need a majority.

The economy is so bad, MSNBC had to lay off 300 Obama spokesmen. - Jay Leno

'Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman

“What we’re watching here today is the equivalent of Woodward and Bernstein helping Nixon cover up Watergate,” he said. “The mainstream media is Woodward and Bernstein. Watergate is Benghazi. Except this time, Woodward and Bernstein are helping Nixon cover it up.”-- Russ Limbaugh

Lets see if I have this straight...Former President Bill Clinton ... who lied to his own wife... was convicted of perjury ... disbarred from practicing law in his home state... an admitted philanderer ... who "Never had sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" ... Impeached by the US House of Representatives ... is giving testimonials for Barrack Obama's character and intentions!!!??? Is this a great country or what!?

"Thanking Obama for killing Bin Laden is like going into McDonalds and thanking Ronald McDonald for the hamburger. It's the guy cooking the burger that should get the credit, not the clown."

referring to 10-3-12 debate: "Obama made a lot of good points tonight. Unfortunately, most of them were for Romney." - Bill Maher, million dollar Obama donor

How can we stand up to someone that creates a 100 dollar Federal Reserve (FR) note for 2 cents and uses the face value of the note of 100 dollars to buy a 100 dollar U.S. Security where the government has to pay them 4% in interest at the end of the year? A yearly cost of 4 FR notes where it only cost the FR 2 cents to print.

This is the biggest Conspiracy you may ever encounter and this started sometime around 1913. Yes, your parents and their parents had so much of their time stolen from them at a cost of 2 pennies. And the National Debt is one big fraud. And this is not just in the United States but the whole world.- Steven Pattison

“Can you imagine a nation founded on the principles of God is being taken over by a party that despises God, denies God’s existence and wants to stab Israel in the back in order to support the Islamists who would kill the Jews and drive them out of the Middle East?”- - Michael Savage

"WE own this country, and when someone doesn't do the job "we have to let them go."- Clint Eastwood at RNC

“Capital must protect itself in every possible way, both by combination and legislation. Debts must be collected, mortgages foreclosed as rapidly as possible. When, through the process of law, the common people lose their homes, they will become more docile and more easily governed through the strong arm of government applied by a central power of wealth under leading financiers. These truths are well known among our principal men who are now engaged in forming an imperialism to govern the world. By dividing the voter through the political party system, we can get them to expend their energies in fighting for questions of no importance. It is thus by discreet action we can secure for ourselves that which has been so well planned and so successfully accomplished.”- President American Bankers Association, 1924

"I think it is wonderful that Eric holder is making sure that Mexicans' second amendment rights are preserved!" - Bobby Florenz

“My father was a hardcore conservative and a straight line Republican voter before he died. Now he votes Democrat.” (-Unknown)

Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule.' Obama is under the mistaken impression that America's symbol is the bald ego." --The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto

‘In years to come there is going to be information that will come out that Obama was not the man who made the call. He can say he did and the people who really know what happened are inside the Pentagon, are in the military and the military isn’t allowed to speak out against the commander- in-chief so his secret is safe.’—Chris Kyle, former SEAL sniper

Remember just a few years ago when...

...the official unemployed was at 8.4 million instead of 12.4 million?

...the U.S. debt was at 9.5 trillion instead of 15.5 trillion?

...gas was $1.89 a gallon?

...the U.S. was friends with Isreal?

...food Stamp Recipients was at 29 million instead of 46 million?

...U.S. Astronauts didn't have to travel with Russians to go into space?

...our country's credit rating was a Triple AAA rating?

"Apparently, I'm supposed to be more angry about what Mitt Romney does with his money than what Barack Obama does with mine."- David Burge

Rep. Randy Neugebauer put the burden into perspective: “It will take over 24 million man hours to comply with Dodd-Frank rules per year. It took only 20 million to build the Panama Canal.”

"Sixty-one percent of debt issued by the Treasury is bought by the Federal Reserve -- which is to say the left hand of the U.S. Government is lending money to the right hand of the US Government. ... Nonetheless, in a land where every mewling babe in the American nursery is born with a debt burden of just under $200,000, the president brags that only his party is 'compassionate' to have no plan whatsoever even to attempt to do anything about this, no way, no how, not now, not ever." --columnist Mark Steyn

Isn't it amazing how every facet of Sergeant Bales life, high school, college, employment, why he left his employment, his brother’s employment, his wife’s employment, real estate holdings, a missed house payment , a missed promotion etc., is exposed within a week and the same fact finders can't find comparable info on the most powerful man in the world in three plus years ?

"We do not have a single document that proves Mr. Obama's birth in Hawaii or anywhere in the United States for that matter. The document is fake, the representation is fake.—Mike Zullo, Arpaio Posse Chief Investigator

" If they (SCOTUS destroy the Constitution, they will have destroyed that which created their positions." - Stewart Rhodes.

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, NOT to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." -- Abraham Lincoln

"Quick, name something that government does better than the private sector that doesn't involve detention, killing, or eliminating freedom." ----Bobby Florentz

"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."---- Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) 40th US President“The election of President Obama by the presidential electors, confirmed by Congress, makes the documents and testimony sought by plaintiff irrelevant,” Obama’s lawyer Jablonski said.

“The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.”--Author Tom Clancy

But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so thatmy children can live in peace. "

- Thomas Paine.

"Look, the Taliban, per se, is not our enemy.”

- VP Joe BidenDecember 2011

"The Constitution of the United States is a law for rulers and for people, equally in war and peace, and it covers with its shield of protection all classes of men, at all times and under all circumstances. No doctrine involving more pernicious consequences was ever invented by the wit of men that any of its great provisions can be suspended during any of the great exigencies of government."

– Ex Parte Milligan (1866)

Permit me to hint whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of foreigners into the administration of our national government ; and to declare expressly that the command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on any but a natural born citizen.
I remain, dear sir,
Your faithful friend and servant,

John Jay.

Calling Ron Paul "out of the mainstream" is a double-edged sword, because it also means he can’t possibly be responsible for the condition of the country today.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- - <!--[endif]-->Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

A guy named Reggie Love leaving the White House to get a degree at the Wharton School of Business. I guess he realized you can't learn anything about economics in the Obama White House.

- Jay Leno

Laws and regulations which violate the Constitution are not obligatory upon any free man.

(believed to be from George Washington.)

“We’re at that awkward stage where it’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards.”

- Claire Wolf

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the chairman of the National Transitional Council and de fact president, had already declared that Libyan laws in future would have Sharia, the Islamic code, as its "basic source".

-The Telegraph (good job Barack!)

Those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable -Robert F. Kennedy

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." -- Albert Einstein

The four boxes of LIBERTY:1. soap2. ballot3. jury4. ammo.....in that order!

"The actual need for a service, its relevance and value is always subordinate to the bureaucracy. This is the difference from the private sector: you go into a shop, and the sales assistant asks, 'Can I be of assistance to you, sir?' You go into a government agency: 'Get to the back of the queue and wait until you are called!”'

- Alistair Mcleod

"Only Malcolm X’s autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me. The blunt poetry of his words. His unadorned insistence on respect. He promised a new and uncompromising order, martial in its discipline."

– Barack Hussein Obama

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”

-Oscar Wilde

“Anyone with an Obama 2012 Bumper Sticker is a Threat to the Gene Pool”

- Congressman Allen West

“The Only People Who Don’t Want to Disclose the Truth are Those with Something to Hide."

- Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro

"If it takes a village to raise your kid, you’re in the wrong country."

- Seen by Tim Clack II

"The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."

-Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro Soebarkah Bounel

"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum. "

- Noam Chomsky

"Judge me by the people with whom I surround myself." -

- Barack Hussein Obama Soetoro (we are, Barry)

"…whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force…"